The Real You
by AnastaziaDanielle
Summary: Tish questions why Priestly would want to be with a woman like her.


Disclaimer: I don't own Ten Inch Hero, but I wouldn't mind if Priestly belonged to me.

"The Real You"

Tish shifted into a more comfortable position on Priestly's couch, her body resting partially on top of his and somewhat leaning against the back of the couch as they watched a movie. Priestly was stretched out flat on the sofa, his mohawked head resting on a pillow propped against the couch arm. Tish relaxed into him as he used the hand not resting on her back to gently stroke her right arm. He smelled of the beach where they had taken a leisurely walk in the sand before returning to his apartment. The material of his "Surf Naked" t-shirt was soft beneath her cheek.

Tish cast a glance up at Priestly, his face bathed in shadows from the TV. She placed a gentle kiss to the line of his jaw and her lips curved upward in a smile as his arm tightened around her.

"You okay?" he asked sleepily.

"Fine," she answered as she tucked her head beneath his chin and rested her hand over the steady thump of his heart. It still surprised and amazed her, this relationship she had with Priestly. It had been years since a man had wanted anything from her but gratuitous sex, so the idea of a steady relationship terrified her. The last three weeks had been incredible and petrifying at the same time, and Priestly hadn't pressured her to have sex with him. The lack of sex confused her; it was the only thing most men wanted from her.

Every time she found herself relaxing around Priestly and enjoying herself, Tadd's words would come back to haunt her. _"She's a cheap piece of ass. She's a waste of time anyway."_

Priestly cleared his throat when Tish let out a sigh she didn't realize was audible. "You keep sighing like that, you're gonna make some great surf," he quipped as his hand continued to rub comforting circles on her back.

She moved to get more comfortable against him and released another sigh before she caught herself.

Priestly chuckled. "I mean it, Tish, what's bugging you?" he asked as he fumbled for the remote and muted the television.

Tish struggled to sit up without elbowing Priestly in the gut. He shifted to a sitting position so that he could easily look her in the face. He watched as Tish caught her bottom lip between her teeth and looked down to worry the hem of her t-shirt with her long, slender fingers.

She finally shrugged a slender shoulder, but avoided looking up at him. "I was just thinking…." She trailed off uncertainly.

Priestly reached out and hooked a finger under her chin, gently tipping her face up so that he could look into her eyes. "Hey, you can tell me anything. I want you to know that," he promised sincerely. Worry pooled in his gut when Tish continued to remain silent.

Finally, she squared her shoulders, gathered her courage, and met his gaze eye-to-eye. "Why are you with me, Priestly?"

He blinked as he processed her question. "What?" he managed in confusion.

"I mean, why do you want to spend time with me – date me?" she asked anxiously. "You haven't pressured me for sex. Usually guys are working their way into my pants by the end of the first date."

Priestly's eyes widened at her words. "Where is this coming from? I thought you were happy, you know, with me." He suddenly looked heartbroken, like a lost little boy.

Tish reached out for his hand and cradled it between both of hers. Her heart lurched at the dejection she saw on his face and she realized he thought she was breaking up with him. Tish traced his knuckles gently with the tips of her fingers as she tried to find the right words to voice her thoughts. "I have been happy, Priestly," she explained, her teeth worrying her bottom lip once again.

Releasing his hand, Tish stood up and wrapped her arms around herself as she began pacing the length of Priestly's small living room.

He watched her as his brow wrinkled with concern. "You don't seem happy now," he pointed out.

"I just….." Tish trailed off for a moment and rubbed her bare arms with her hands like she was cold before she forced herself to meet Priestly's beautiful green eyes. "I was thinking about some things that Tadd said," she finally admitted.

"That douche?" Priestly snorted. "Why were you thinking about him?" He tried not to think about all of Tish's former boyfriends and all of the things they may have done better than him. As Priestly watched, Tish seemed to shrink into herself, the usually confident and sarcastic young woman suddenly looking small and unsure.

Priestly stood up and reached out to draw her into his arms. These last three weeks had been the most amazing days of his life. Tish had accompanied him on a first date, and then a second and a third. After that, they spent time hanging out when they weren't working. She had allowed Priestly to hold her hand and twine their fingers together. By the time they had gone on their third date, the chaste kisses became intense, soul-touching make-out sessions. He had thought Tish was happy. To hear that she had been thinking about Tadd, well, that threw him off big time. Worry niggled in his gut to see his confident and headstrong girlfriend feeling unsure and worried.

Priestly continued to hold his girlfriend and rocked back and forth gently, allowing Tish to curl her arms around him and press her face into his shoulder. He rested his cheek against her dark hair and breathed in the scent of her lotion as he tried to relax and not jump to conclusions. Finally, he gently extracted himself from her arms and pushed her back so that he could see her face. "What's going on, Tish? Are you breaking up with me?" The question burst out before he could stop it.

She started and looked shocked at the question. "No! No, Priestly," she hurried to assure him, her hands coming up to grasp his forearms gently.

"Then what has you so uptight?" he pressed.

"Priestly, why are you dating me?" she asked once again, firmer this time. "You haven't tried to get me into your bed yet." Tears formed in her eyes as she talked. "And Tadd was right," she continued, nearly choking on the words. "He said I was a cheap piece of ass and a waste of time. He was right." She wiped tears away with the back of her hand and forced herself to meet Priestly's eyes.

" _That's_ what this is all about?" Priestly asked in confusion.

Tish tilted her chin almost haughtily at Priestly, his tone rankling just a bit.

"You can't listen to anything that jerk says," he pointed out.

"But he's right," she insisted. "I am a cheap piece of ass. You watched me go home with one guy after another and hop right into their beds. No guy considers me for a relationship," she pointed out miserably. "They use me and then dump me."

"Stop; just stop it!" Priestly ordered sharply, making Tish jump. He stepped forward and placed gentle hands on her shoulders. "That girl who went home with any man who asked and jumped between their sheets, she was a cover. I know the real you."

Tish looked startled. "The real me?"

Priestly nodded and allowed his hands to run down the warm skin of her bare arms until he could twine his fingers with hers. "The real you is terrified that no one will want her, so you do whatever you can to get people to like you, even if it means sleeping with every man who crosses your path." He released one of her hands to tuck her hair behind her ear before leaning forward to place a tender kiss to her forehead. A soft sob caught in Tish's throat at the gesture.

"Tish, listen to me," Priestly told her softly as he looked into her tear-streaked face. "You aren't a cheap piece of ass and you certainly aren't a waste of time. You've been my friend for over a year and my girlfriend for three weeks. Tadd thought he knew you, but he didn't – not really. I don't think you let many people see the real Tish."

Tish let out a shaky sigh and sniffled as Priestly thumbed her tears off her cheeks. "I guess it threw me when you didn't try to have sex with me," she explained as she allowed one hand to trace the line of his jaw before drifting up to tease the green mohawk he sported today. "I started thinking that maybe you really didn't want me, but didn't know how to let me down easy since we have to work together."

Priestly shook his head. "Nothing could be further from the truth. When we finally sleep together," he began, his cheeks flushing pink, "it will be because we can honestly say we are making love, not having sex."

Tish huffed out a sob and then wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's body. She felt his arms encircle her and hold her tightly. "How did I get so lucky to have you?" she murmured, her words muffled against his black t-shirt.

He pulled back just enough to give her his cocky grin. "That's right, babe. There's only one Renaissance Man!"

Tish wiped away a final tear and punched him in the shoulder gently before standing on tiptoe to press her lips against his. She smiled against his soft mouth, the feel of his lip ring cold against her heated lips.

Priestly's hands encircled her waist. "Tish, I want you to put Tadd out of your mind." He nipped at her lips possessively.

Tish stifled a moan as Priestly's tongue teased the seam of her mouth. "Tadd who?" she asked wolfishly as she draped her arms around her boyfriend's neck.

"Good girl," Priestly replied as he tugged his girlfriend down onto the couch with him and kissed her until she was breathless, his mind already skipping ahead to ways he could show Tish how much he wanted to be with her. The "real" Tish was an amazing woman, and he couldn't wait to make her see that.

The End


End file.
